Jen Z

Hmm...good question. York Minster is fabulous. Notre Dame is beautiful from the back, as mentioned above, though I can imagine the whole exterior looks better than it did when I saw it in 1995 because they were in the middle of cleaning it (from black to white, I swear). Also there will always be a special place in my heart for Notre Dame because I was there on Good Friday and heard a service, mostly singing, and it was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes (and I'm not exactly what you would call a 'religious' person). The Wieskierche in Bavaria, on the Romantic Road, is a great example of the Rococo style, and is quite interesting, if not tacky. For smaller churches, one of my favorites is the Chiesa di St Ignazio in Rome. The church apparently ran out of money before they could build the dome, so they had a painter create an illusion of one, and it looks very real, until you walk past it underneath. Also, the main fresco before the fake dome is a great example of the illusionistic ceilings in the Baroque style... it really looks 3-D.

Carol

Thanks for introducing such a terrific topic and for responding personally to the suggestions! Here are my favorites: <BR> <BR>For stained glass windows: Sainte Chapelle, Chartres, Notre Dame, the cathedral of Tours <BR> <BR>For the art of the Romanesque: the great churches of the South of France <BR> <BR>For their grandeur: St. Peter's, the Duomo in Milan, Westminster Abbey <BR> <BR>For Baroque exuberance: any of the great churches in Rome--I'd recommend visiting every single one of them--each has its own extraordinary artistic character <BR> <BR>For Renaissance purity: the Duomo in Siena, the Florence Duomo, Baptistry, and Belltower, the other great churches in Florence--Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, , Santo Spirito, et al. <BR> <BR>For the most beautiful frescos in-situ : the Assisi cathedral of San Francesco <BR> <BR>The most spiritual and moving experience I've had was in Florence. It was not in a cathedral, but in the Museo di San Marco-the Fra Angelico museum-which is in a monastary where each individual monk's cell was frescoed by Fra Angelico. If you can visit there as early in the morning as possible, as I did, it is a singularly exalting experience.

Kim

These recs are for the UK, since we just got back. Although not a cathedral, King's College Chapel in Cambridge has beautiful stained glass -- more like paintings because of the panoramic scenes depicted. Brilliant color. We loved the Minster in York (five sisters windows with the green glass) and Ely cathedral with its latern. <BR> <BR>For monastary ruins, visit Fountains Abbey near York or Harrowgate. Took a bus to Ripon where we caught an hourly or something like that(?)tour bus from the bus station to the Abbey. We spent all day exploring the grounds which included Studley Royal Water Gardens and romantic well preserved ruins of the 11th century abbey. A 2 hour guided tour of the grounds really added lots of history and interest to the visit. Not many tourists since it is a bit out of the way, although we found public transportation by train/bus very easy. Run by the National Trust, there is more than one nice restaurant and also a gift shop on the grounds.

Arizona

In the "not exactly a cathedral category": the Benedictine abbey at Ottobeuren, north east of Ulm, Germany. It's an immense pile of roccoco architecture, with uncounted cherubs and exhuberant plasterwork and so much gold your mouth drops. It seems almost nobody but the locals go there. What a shame. It's a gigantic place. For a tiny place, my vote is for the Assamkirche in Munich. Built with funds donated by the Assam brothers back two or three hundred years ago. Somehow it escaped total destruction during WW2. A miracle.

Jack

Kate - <BR>You've really got some dialog going here! My choice are the three great romanesque cathedrals in the German Rheinland: Maintz, Worms and Speyer. While you are in the area, you could also see the cathedral in Koln and the dom in Aachen. A two week excursion could easily be built around these five.

dan

Now that Fodor's hasgot its act together again and the new website is up and running, I'm hoping this discussion about the best cathedrals in Europe can be renewed. If you haven't seen this before and enjoy visiting churches, mmonasteries and the great cathedrals of Europe, go back to the top and read every response, then add your own. It's a great topic that has generalted a lo t of interesting comments - so much more interesting than hotelas and restaurants - and I hope Fodor's readers will post similar stimulating topics in the future. <BR>

Tom

I have been overwhelmed by the physical nature of the European cathedrals since we began traveling to Europe about 10 to 12 years ago. I have purchased enough postcards to last a lifetime, as I'm almost certain that my own pictures will never do them justice. Just a few comments if I may: 1. I am in awe of the people that spent a lifetime, most often without seeing a finished product, craft these beautiful buildings. 2. I am amazed at and particularly saddened by the incredible beauty of a building designed for worship that appears in many cases to be a place where the congregation has dwindled to virtually non-existant.3.I love them all, however St. Peter's for its size, Westminster Abbey for its history, Sacre Couer for its beauty and Koln for its glass windows do stand out. Sienna, withs its unique black and white, and the Duomo in Florence are also among my favorites. I would also recommend the Assamkirche on Sendlingerstrasse in Munich for anyone that wants to be "baroqued". My favorite however, is Notre Dame in Paris, and not for the usual reasons. As a Southern Baptist, I could never recall attending mass at a Catholic church, much less a cathedral. I happened to attend a mass at Notre Dame on Palm Sunday and was absolutely overwhelmed by the music, the atmospehere and the solemnity of the occassion, even if I did not understand one single word of the service. I like to think back to that time as a wonderful reminder that despite how we often differ in practice, there are some things that we can in fact agree upon.

Kate Woodward

For those of you who mentioned the Cathedrals in Spain (especially the one in Seville), I want to thank you for the advice. I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Spain where I was able to visit the Cathedrals in Seville and Segovia (and a few churches in tiny villages). Segovia was smaller and "cozier" but still beautiful. It was the first Cathedral I have visited since March, so I was overwhelmed by my strength of emotion. Seville is beautiful and impressively large; however, I just wish it was less 'touristy'. Plagued by crowds, the Cathedral was a bit harder to study in detail. Still, it's an awesome sight. <BR>Again, thanks for the advice. <BR> <BR>Spain in early October was beautiful - the weather was perfect, the food and wine excellent, and the sightseeing magnificent.

Don Stadler

What a great topic! I'm surprised to see that nobody has mentioned Sicily! I visited Palermo in early 1995 and saw the most awestriking cathedral in the town of Monreale (5 miles to the south of Palermo). The most amazing mosaics you will ever see. Beats the heck out of San Marco in Venice, Torcello, or anywhere other than the churches of Ravenna. Palermo has a wonderful mix of two periods. Monreale dates from the Norman period about 1260 when Palermo was the richest city in Europe, with a wonderful fusion of Greek, Norman, and Saracen culture. Extraordinary. <BR> <BR>The second period is a most impressive baroque. The Palermo cathedral is Norman outside and Baroque inside. I mourn the loss of the previous mosaics, but it's well worth a visit. They also have a small Chapel Palantine which dates from Norman times, and is a small jewel like version of the Monreale cathedral. There are also many other churches dating from Norman times. <BR> <BR>Ravenna doesn't have a proper Duomo, but has several of the most breathtaking smaller churches and bapistries around. They have wornderful mosaics dating from the end of the Roman Empire, Theoderic the Goth (Arian churches), and the short-lived restoration of the empire during Justinian's time. There is a church perhaps 3 miles south of Ravenna (St. Appolinare de Classe) in the suburb of Classe which is the best of all! Not to be missed!

Arizona

Let's include Sultanahmet (more popularly known as The Blue Mosque) in Istanbul, a few hundred yards from its neighbor, Hagia Sophia. Sultanahmet is 1,000 years "younger" than its neighbor, having been built in the 1500s. News note: the second-largest mosque in Turkey is almost completed in Adana. Its expense was donated by a leading Turkish businessman. The largest mosque, designed by Turkey's greatest architect, Sinan, is in Edirne, west of Istanbul near the border with Greece.

NIGEL DORAN

Hello <BR> <BR>You might well have seen York Minster and Durham Cathedral, but those are my favourites in U K. I prefer Durham Cathedral, because it is so massive and so old. Imagine the work that went into it in the 11th century! Both are on the east coast main rail line, about 1 hour apart. You can see the Cathedral in Durham as you draw into the station.

Heather B.

I enjoyed visiting Salisbury Cathedaral during a trip to England this past June. Salisbury was the last stop of our day tour. Having just been to Bath & Stonehenge I wasn't expecting Salisbury to be the highlight of the day. The cathedral had a nice "feel" to it. Lots of beauty and history mixed with a sense of contemporary use. Among the displays were activities of the congregation. And the day we were there, they had an outdoor music festival on the lawn. The energy of an active congregation was quite appealing.

Kate W.

Because this is my topic, I feel I can diverge a bit.... <BR> <BR>Can anyone recommend good CDs of music recorded in these wonderful Cathedrals we've discussed? Oftentimes I'd visit the Cathedrals during Evensong, and it's the most beautiful singing I've ever heard. I'd love to "re-create" that in my home (or at least pretend to). <BR> <BR>Have you noticed that if you combine this topic with the "what took your breath away" topic, that it sheds light on why so many of us are profoundly moved by our travels in Europe? If you haven't read the other topic, it's worth your time. <BR> <BR>Please keep your Cathedral votes coming! <BR>

kam

The incredibly unusual cathedral in Albi near Toulouse and the most beautiful rose window I've ever seen in Notre Dame in Strasbourg. We returned 4 times at different times of the day to see the colors---mostly blue, green, yellow and clear--very little red and very beautiful. Also there is the "smiling angel" who is so charming I would like to bring her home to live with me!! St. Sernin in Toulouse is also worth a visit--a city often overlooked by Americans with very friendly and very warm people. <BR>

lisa rothstein

CHARTRES CHARTRES CHARTRES <BR>you will not find a more beautiful or surprising place on earth. It is one of the only cathedrals I have visited where the inside ias as interesting and beautiful as the outside and vice versa. There are tours twice daily by the english historian Malcom Miller, who has built his entire career around this one building; its architecture, statuary and of course its world famous stained glass windows. I am an American living in Paris and I have been back many times. There is something special about the place that transcends the artistic. When you go you will se what I mean. I notice a lot of other people have responded as I have to your question. I hope by now you have already taken their advice!

Robin

Another vote for St. Peter's in Rome. Admittedly I haven't visited France yet, but I can't imagine a site more spectacular than walking into St. Peter's!!!

Denise

I agree with previous posters re the Aya Sophia and Blue Mosque in Turkey and St Peters and S.Marco in Venice - wonderful. Denise <BR>

Dick Hardy

Everyone seems to have an opinion! My vote is for Durham Cathedral (which incidentally has one of the finest choirs in England, so make sure you hear them)and, for different reasons, St. Marks in Venice and Ste. Chapelle in Paris. A side note: an architect friend who lived in England for some time and visited many of the European cathedrals felt that Chartres and Durham were the only ones he saw that had "something happening" spiritually. <BR>Great topic, incidentally! <BR>Dick

Arizona

Today I ran across a small book in our local library telling all about the magnificent Rheims cathedral. History upon history, page after page of photos.Written by some Frenchmen and published by a French company. And nowhere in this book did it tell who paid for the cathedral's reconstruction after the enormous damage suffered during World War I. Who picked up the tab? John D. Rockefeller.

Kate

Yes, it's me again. I'm beginning to plan a trip to Italy in September (or thereabouts). Could someone offer advice on the best of Cathedrals/churches in Italy?? I have no specific itinerary as yet - though I'm thinking about a Florence, Venice, Verona, Milan, Naples, and Rome (I've already been to Rome) plan.